Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there!
I took my own mother these bad boys this morning. I have been brainstorming ideas for awhile and kept going back to the chocolate turtle candies that I know she likes and since I needed to redeem myself after my cracked cheesecake so turtle cheesecake was the plan. My mom doesn’t have a huge sweet tooth though so showing up with a whole cheesecake didn’t sound like a great idea.
I was so excited about these guys. It’s a chocolate cookie (I crushed whole oreos – with a rolling pin, thankyouverymuch – because I couldn’t get the cream off in one swipe) and pecan meal crust, a regular cheesecake, and a pecan covered in caramel and chocolate sauces. They turned out just as I had imagined them and taste amazing! A lot of times I think a whole slice of cheesecake is just too much but these muffin-sized cakes are perfect.
Mini Turtle Cheesecake
For the crust:
- ¾ cup ground chocolate cookie crumbs
- ⅓ cup pecan meal
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted)
For the filling:
- 1 ½ packages (12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature)
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup plain yogurt
For the caramel drizzle:
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the chocolate drizzle:
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons butter
- pecans (for topping)
- Preheat oven to 325. Line a 12-muffin pan with aluminum liners and spray lightly with oil.
- To make crust: Combine chocolate cookie crumbs, pecan meal, brown sugar, and melted butter. Spoon a tablespoon into bottom of each muffin liner and press lightly with your fingers. Bake for 5 minutes; remove from oven.
- To make filling: Beat cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until creamy. With mixer running, gradually add sugar, salt, and vanilla; beat well. Add eggs one at a time, mixing just until blended. Stir in yogurt.
- Spoon about ¼ cup of filling into each muffin liner. It should come almost to the top of the liner. Bake for 15 minutes or until tops of cheesecakes are puffed and only slightly jiggly in the very center. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least a couple hours, preferably overnight.
- To make caramel drizzle, combine ¼ cup of butter, brown sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in cream. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool.
- To make chocolate drizzle, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate chips, remove from heat and stir until melted.
- To assemble, carefully remove liners from cooled cheesecakes and put cheesecakes on wax paper. Place a pecan in the center of each cheesecake. Drizzle chocolate and caramel over tops. Keep refrigerated until serving.
adapted from Blue Ribbon Recipes
Natalie (The Sweets LIfe) says
these are SO adorable…I love mini cheesecakes and I bet your mom did too ;) Can’t wait to try this version sometime!
Steel City Flan says
Beautiful! I just saw the top picture on Flickr and had to come see the recipe :) These sound great, especially since I’m a sucker for cheesecake and anything in teeny tiny portions.
.-= Steel City Flan´s last blog ..Orange Sherbet =-.
Beth says
These look wonderful and I think I will make them for a gathering in a week. What is pecan meal? Is it just ground up pecans?
amanda says
Yeah, its just finely ground pecans. I know Bob’s Red Mill sells almond meal so maybe they have pecan? If not, you could always use the almond meal. I’m sure it would be just as good.
Shee Shee says
You won’t ever buy the candy turtles again – great balance between sweet, salty, creamy and crunchy. Perfect for any occasion and especially for Mother’s Day. My favorite baked treat (German chocolate cake) has just been replaced. Love them.
Uh, oh – gotta go. I hear Fake Ginger’s daddy in the kitchen getting into something…..
Shee Shee
Laney says
Wow!! I wish I was brave enough to try cheesecakes! These look so good.
.-= Laney´s last blog ..First Month Weigh In-Thank you Budlight Select 55! =-.
grace says
these are so great! i made something similar for my friend’s wedding reception and they were a hit. mother’s day is another awesome occasion for which to partake of chocolate, caramel, and pecan goodness. :)
.-= grace´s last blog ..cake mix kick =-.
Nicole says
I made 4 batches of these this morning. Well I made the cheesecake and a simple oreo crust. Love my co-workers but I don’t have time to make and decorate enough for the office as pretty as yours. But I promised the BF that I would make him his own little cheesecake tonight.
great recipe!!!
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..A Glimpse into the Past: a Dairy Cow on Boston Common =-.
Joanne says
I love the “turtle” combination of flavors (where does that name COME from??)…and these little cheesecakes look, well, some kind of amazing! your mom must have been so pleased!
roxan says
Very fancy looking! Your mom is lucky to have such a thoughtful daughter…
Eliana says
I’m excited just looking at these.
Taryn says
I just made these tonight for a cocktail party — they were unbelievable! Everyone loved them, they were easy to make, and just so, SO delicious. Thanks for such a great recipe!
amanda says
Awesome! So glad you liked them! Everyone fought over them when I made them so I guess I should make them again, huh?
Thanks for coming back to comment! :)
Gyn says
you may have already answered this question… How many batches does this make?
amanda says
I got 12 mini cheesecakes out of the recipe. Thanks for commenting! :)